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can t lie about how I feel. With you, there is no reason. I ve loved you since we both drew
breath, Tris. If I can t have you, there is nothing.
Tears streamed down Gabriel s face, though Tristan would have bet his brother didn t
realise he was crying. Gabriel s trembling hand lifted to Tristan s cheek, touched the wetness
there. Tristan was crying, too.
You re stronger than I am, Gabriel said, softly. You ll make it without me, Tris. But I
can t do it without you.
The sound of the phone ringing made Tristan jump. Neither brother moved to answer
it, neither of them daring to break eye contact, but when the phone kept ringing well past
three and four times, Tristan wiped Gabriel s cheek and said, You d better get that.
Nodding, Gabriel got to his feet and moved quickly across the room to the phone that
hung on the wall in the kitchen nook.
Gabriel took the cordless off the wall and started walking back towards him. Hello.
Pause. Just a minute, he said, and handed the phone to Tristan.
Pressing the phone to his ear, Tristan said, Hello.
Stan, oh god. You have to come home!
Tristan frowned and sat upright, Ma? What s wrong? What happened?
It s your father, Stan. He had a massive heart attack. Their mother sobbed so hard she
barely got the words out. He s dead.
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Tristan nearly dropped the phone. His mouth gaped open, like a fish stranded out of
water. What?
He s dead, his mother wailed.
Gabriel frowned, straining to hear, looking at him with eyes that swam with fresh tears.
What is it?
Realising his mouth was still open, Tristan snapped it shut. He bit his tongue, and
swore. The news felt like a stomach blow to a body already racked with pain. On top of the
fallout he was having with Gabriel, Tristan could barely breathe around the clog in his
throat.
Mom was still sobbing, and he couldn t talk. Couldn t form the words. Didn t want to
hurt Gabriel even more than he already had, though logically, he knew, it was inevitable.
Gabriel snatched the phone away. Mom? His expression darkened. He never said a
word. Tristan could still hear their mother sobbing, sobbing about their father s death. At
least, she didn t appear concerned about which twin was listening to her.
Tristan could almost see the moment his brother got the news. His face changed,
became a mask of such incredible shock and hurt it punched a hole right through Tristan s
soul.
He knew some part of Gabriel had lived with the secret hope of reconciliation. He knew
because he d shared that hope. But now any chance they d had was gone. Their father was
gone. There was nothing left to them now but regrets. Tristan analyzed this all internally
within seconds. That was all it took before Gabriel handed him back the phone and walked
away.
He didn t say anything. Nothing at all.
Just left Tristan alone, to weep for them both.
* * * *
What should have been a private moment of grief was turned into a very public affair
by virtue of Gabriel s rock star status. The paparazzi wanted pictures, whether it was Gabriel
publicly grieving or laughing his head off. It didn t matter as long as they made a buck and
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got the rumour mills to churn. The fact that Gabriel had his twin brother beside him was just
icing on the cake.
Emails poured into Thrice Broken s web address. Fan s drowned their mailboxes in
condolence gifts. Even travelling was strenuous, with all the well-wishers showing up at the
airport. Brogan was severely pissed that the information of the travel was leaked out, but
those types of things were expected. No one ever knew how the fans found out but find out
they did.
At least there are no camera flashes, Gabriel thought, walking between his brother and
security guard Jules Norton. The fans had been respectful enough not to use the opportunity
to ask for pictures or take them. Dressed in all black, Gabriel and his entourage moved
through the airport like a flock of crows.
While waiting for their flight, Tristan managed to talk Brogan into accompanying him
to a coffee stand though he returned with hot cocoa in his cups. Like Gabriel, Tristan didn t
have a taste for coffee.
Thanks, Gabriel said, accepting the cup with a grateful nod.
Tristan sat down beside him, close enough that their arms touched. Gabriel sighed
deeply, feeling oddly numb. He hadn t felt anything since two days ago. It had taken him
that long to get his affairs in order and arrange for a brief hiatus from the band, travel and
lodging before he travelled across the country. He hadn t been home in years, and this wasn t
under the best circumstances.
Gabriel didn t know how to feel. Things were falling apart between him and Tristan,
and his father, the man who had never seemed to love anyone more than he loved his ornery
nature, was dead.
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